Top 12 Journalism Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the fast-paced and evolving field of journalism, standing out to potential employers requires showcasing a unique set of skills on your resume. This article compiles the top 12 journalism skills that not only highlight your proficiency in storytelling and reporting but also demonstrate your adaptability and dedication to the craft, making you a standout candidate in a competitive industry.

Journalism Skills

1. Investigative Reporting
2. AP Style
3. Multimedia Storytelling
4. Data Visualization (Tableau)
5. SEO Optimization
6. Social Media (Hootsuite)
7. Video Editing (Adobe Premiere)
8. Audio Editing (Audacity)
9. Content Management Systems (WordPress)
10. Photo Editing (Adobe Photoshop)
11. Fact-Checking
12. Mobile Journalism

1. Investigative Reporting

Investigative reporting is a journalistic process that involves deeply researching and analyzing information to uncover facts, often related to crime, corruption, or misconduct, that are hidden from the public, with the aim of holding those in power accountable.

Why It's Important

Investigative reporting is crucial because it uncovers truth and holds power to account, exposing corruption, injustice, and malpractices that otherwise remain hidden, thereby safeguarding democracy and informing the public with in-depth, verified information.

How to Improve Investigative Reporting Skills

Improving investigative reporting involves a multi-faceted approach focusing on enhancing research skills, fostering critical thinking, and embracing technological advancements. Here are concise strategies:

1. Enhance Research Skills: Journalists should refine their ability to dig deeper into public records, databases, and conduct thorough background checks. The Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) offers resources and training to improve these skills.

2. Critical Thinking: Encourage a culture of skepticism and verification. Journalists need to question information critically, check facts rigorously, and not take sources at face value. Poynter provides courses and seminars that emphasize critical thinking in journalism.

3. Technological Proficiency: Embrace digital tools for data analysis and visualization. Tools like Tableau Public for data visualization and DocumentCloud for analyzing public documents can enhance investigative reporting.

4. Collaboration: Foster partnerships between journalists and newsrooms across different regions or countries to pool resources and share expertise. Collaborative platforms like The Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) support cross-border investigative journalism.

5. Legal Knowledge: Journalists should be well-versed in the legal aspects of investigative reporting, including libel laws and freedom of information acts. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press offers legal guides and resources.

6. Ethical Integrity: Upholding high ethical standards and transparency in reporting processes builds trust with the audience. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) provides a code of ethics that serves as a guideline for investigative reporters.

By focusing on these areas, journalists can significantly improve the quality and impact of their investigative reporting.

How to Display Investigative Reporting Skills on Your Resume

2. AP Style

AP Style, or Associated Press Style, is a standardized approach to writing and formatting news stories used in journalism to ensure clarity, consistency, and accuracy across publications.

Why It's Important

AP Style is important in journalism as it ensures consistency, clarity, and professionalism across news writing, facilitating accurate and unbiased communication to a wide audience.

How to Improve AP Style Skills

To improve your AP Style skills in journalism:

1. Study the AP Stylebook: Familiarize yourself with the latest edition of the AP Stylebook, the journalist's bible. It's updated annually, so staying current is crucial.

2. Practice Regularly: Apply AP Style rules in your writing. Practice by editing samples or your own past work to identify and correct style errors.

3. Use Online Resources: Leverage online resources and updates from the AP Stylebook's official Twitter account, which shares tips and clarifications.

4. Join AP Style Quizzes and Workshops: Participate in workshops or online quizzes. Websites like Newsroom 101 offer exercises based on AP Style.

5. Keep a Cheat Sheet: Create a cheat sheet of the most commonly used AP Style rules and guidelines relevant to your writing.

Remember, consistency and attention to detail are key in mastering AP Style.

How to Display AP Style Skills on Your Resume

3. Multimedia Storytelling

Multimedia storytelling in journalism refers to the practice of using a combination of various content forms—such as text, audio, video, and interactive elements—to tell a story or report news in a more engaging and comprehensive manner. This approach allows for a richer, more immersive experience, enabling audiences to understand and connect with the story on multiple levels.

Why It's Important

Multimedia storytelling is crucial in journalism as it enhances audience engagement by combining text, images, video, and audio, making stories more immersive and accessible across different platforms, and catering to diverse learning and consumption preferences. This multi-faceted approach ensures a broader reach and deeper understanding of news and narratives.

How to Improve Multimedia Storytelling Skills

Improving multimedia storytelling in journalism involves integrating various digital elements to create engaging, informative narratives. Here are concise strategies:

1. Utilize Diverse Media: Combine text, images, videos, and audio to cater to different audience preferences. This approach enriches the storytelling experience by providing multiple entry points to the story. Poynter offers insights on effectively combining these elements.

2. Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive graphics, maps, and timelines to allow readers to explore data and stories at their own pace. Tools like Knight Lab’s projects can help in creating these elements.

3. Narrative Structure: Craft your story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Consider the arc of storytelling and how each multimedia element contributes. Nieman Storyboard provides examples and analysis of successful narrative structures.

4. Mobile Optimization: Ensure your multimedia content is accessible and performs well on mobile devices, as a significant portion of the audience consumes news on-the-go. The Google Mobile-Friendly Test is a useful tool for this.

5. Social Media Integration: Leverage social media platforms to share and promote your stories. Use platform-specific features like Instagram Stories or Twitter threads to tease and link back to your full multimedia story. Social Media Examiner offers strategies for effective social media use.

6. Feedback and Analytics: Utilize analytics tools to understand how your audience interacts with your stories and use this feedback to refine future projects. Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into user behavior.

By implementing these strategies, journalists can enhance their multimedia storytelling, making it more engaging and accessible to a diverse audience.

How to Display Multimedia Storytelling Skills on Your Resume

4. Data Visualization (Tableau)

Data Visualization in Tableau for journalism involves using the Tableau software to create interactive and visually compelling charts, graphs, and maps to represent complex datasets, making it easier for journalists to tell stories and convey information clearly and engagingly to their audience.

Why It's Important

Data Visualization, particularly through tools like Tableau, is crucial in journalism as it enables the clear and impactful presentation of complex data, helping to tell stories in a visually engaging manner that enhances understanding and retention among audiences.

How to Improve Data Visualization (Tableau) Skills

Improving Data Visualization in Tableau, especially for journalism, involves focusing on clarity, storytelling, and audience engagement. Here’s a brief guide:

1. Start with a Clear Goal: Know what story you're trying to tell or what question you're answering. This ensures your visualization is purposeful and organized.

2. Choose the Right Chart Type: Match your data and storytelling goals with the appropriate chart type to enhance comprehension. Tableau provides a guide on choosing the right chart types.

3. Simplify and Declutter: Remove unnecessary elements (like excessive colors, lines, or text) that don't contribute to the story. This Tableau guide on effective visual practices is helpful.

4. Use Color Wisely: Use color to highlight key data points or to guide the viewer’s attention. Ensure high contrast for readability. Tableau’s tips on using color can be insightful.

5. Annotate and Label Clearly: Annotations and labels should be concise, adding context or emphasizing key insights without overwhelming the viewer.

6. Ensure Accessibility: Make your visualizations accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. This includes considering color blindness and ensuring your visualizations are legible for all. Learn more from Tableau's accessibility considerations.

7. Iterate and Get Feedback: Share drafts with peers or members of your intended audience for feedback. Their insights can help refine and improve the visualization.

8. Stay Updated with Tableau’s Resources: Tableau’s blog and training videos are great resources to learn new tips, tricks, and updates.

Focusing on these aspects can significantly enhance the effectiveness and impact of your data visualizations in journalism.

How to Display Data Visualization (Tableau) Skills on Your Resume

5. SEO Optimization

SEO Optimization for journalism involves tailoring online content to improve visibility and ranking on search engine results pages. This includes using relevant keywords, compelling headlines, and high-quality content to attract more readers and enhance the discoverability of news articles and features.

Why It's Important

SEO optimization is crucial for journalism as it helps ensure that content reaches a wider audience by improving visibility and ranking on search engines, thereby enhancing reader engagement and driving more traffic to news websites.

How to Improve SEO Optimization Skills

To improve SEO optimization for journalism, focus on these concise strategies:

1. Keyword Research: Identify target keywords relevant to your content. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner for research.

2. Quality Content: Create high-quality, engaging, and informative articles that answer readers' questions. See Google's Quality Guidelines for reference.

3. Headlines and Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling headlines and meta descriptions incorporating your target keywords. Yoast SEO provides great tips on this.

4. Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly. Test your site with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.

5. Page Speed: Improve page loading times for better user experience. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze and optimize.

6. Internal and External Linking: Link to relevant internal pages and credible external sources to enhance content value. Moz's guide on link building offers excellent insights.

7. Social Media Engagement: Promote content on social media platforms to drive traffic. Hootsuite's social media tips can help.

8. Regular Updates: Keep content fresh and updated to stay relevant and authoritative.

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your SEO optimization in journalism.

How to Display SEO Optimization Skills on Your Resume

6. Social Media (Hootsuite)

Social Media, in the context of journalism, refers to online platforms like Hootsuite that facilitate the sharing, creation, and dissemination of news and information through interactive communication among users. Hootsuite specifically is a management tool that allows journalists to schedule, publish, and monitor content across multiple social media channels from a single dashboard, enhancing their ability to engage with audiences and track news trends efficiently.

Why It's Important

Social media platforms like Hootsuite are important for journalism as they enable efficient management and scheduling of content across various social networks, facilitate real-time engagement with audiences, and provide tools for analyzing social media trends and impact, thereby enhancing the dissemination and promotion of journalistic content in the digital age.

How to Improve Social Media (Hootsuite) Skills

To improve your use of Hootsuite for journalism, follow these concise steps:

1. Strategize Your Content: Plan content that resonates with your audience. Use Hootsuite’s Planner to schedule posts related to trending topics, breaking news, and evergreen journalism pieces.

2. Leverage Analytics: Utilize Hootsuite’s Analytics feature to track the performance of your posts. Analyze metrics to understand what content types and topics your audience engages with the most.

3. Engage Your Audience: Use Hootsuite to monitor mentions and comments. Respond promptly to engage with your audience. This guide has tips to increase engagement on your posts.

4. Utilize Hootsuite Apps: Integrate third-party apps from the Hootsuite App Directory to enhance your social media management. Apps like TrendSpottr can help you identify trending topics relevant to your audience.

5. Optimize Posting Times: Post when your audience is most active. Hootsuite’s AutoSchedule feature can help, but also refer to this article for insights on the best times to post on various platforms.

6. Monitor Competitors: Keep an eye on competitors’ social media strategies. Use Hootsuite’s Streams to monitor their content and audience engagement, helping you refine your strategy.

7. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with social media trends and Hootsuite features by visiting the Hootsuite Blog. It’s a valuable resource for tips, trends, and strategies in social media.

Implementing these steps will enhance your journalism practices on social media via Hootsuite, making your content more engaging and reaching a wider audience efficiently.

How to Display Social Media (Hootsuite) Skills on Your Resume

7. Video Editing (Adobe Premiere)

Video editing in Adobe Premiere for journalism involves cutting, assembling, and enhancing video footage to create compelling news stories or features. This process includes adding titles, transitions, effects, and adjusting audio levels to produce a polished and informative final product for broadcast or online publication.

Why It's Important

Video editing, especially through tools like Adobe Premiere, is crucial in journalism for crafting compelling, clear, and engaging news stories. It enables journalists to effectively combine footage, interviews, and graphics, enhancing storytelling and ensuring the accurate conveyance of information to the audience.

How to Improve Video Editing (Adobe Premiere) Skills

Improving video editing skills in Adobe Premiere for journalism involves focusing on storytelling, efficiency, and technical mastery. Here’s a concise guide:

1. Learn the Basics: Start with Adobe’s own tutorials to understand the interface and key functions.

2. Storytelling: Journalism is about stories. Use the rule of thirds for composition and J and L cuts to make your edits seamless and engaging.

3. Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed up your workflow by mastering keyboard shortcuts. This saves time and lets you focus more on creativity.

4. Color Grading: Enhance the visual appeal of your videos with color correction and grading. Adobe provides a solid foundation on how to get started.

5. Audio Editing: Good video isn’t just visual. Improve your audio quality and editing skills with tutorials like those from Adobe on mixing audio.

6. Transitions and Effects: Use transitions sparingly and effects wisely to support the story, not distract. Adobe’s guide on applying transitions offers best practices.

7. Export Settings: Ensure your content looks good across platforms with the right export settings.

8. Stay Updated: Adobe Premiere Pro is constantly evolving. Stay updated with the latest features and improvements on the Adobe Blog.

9. Practice: Like any skill, practice is key. Challenge yourself with new projects, replicate styles you admire, and incorporate feedback.

10. Join Communities: Engage with online forums and communities (e.g., r/premiere) to learn from others, share your work, and get feedback.

Remember, improvement is a continuous process. Be patient and persistent.

How to Display Video Editing (Adobe Premiere) Skills on Your Resume

8. Audio Editing (Audacity)

Audio editing in Audacity for journalism involves manipulating and refining audio recordings to enhance clarity, remove unwanted noise, and ensure the audio content is engaging and informative for listeners. This process is crucial for producing high-quality, professional audio pieces for news reports, interviews, and podcasts.

Why It's Important

Audio editing, particularly through tools like Audacity, is crucial in journalism for producing clear, engaging, and professional audio content. It allows journalists to refine interviews, reports, and podcasts by removing unwanted noise, adjusting levels, and ensuring seamless transitions, thereby enhancing storytelling and communication effectiveness.

How to Improve Audio Editing (Audacity) Skills

Improving audio editing in Audacity, particularly for journalism, involves mastering a few key techniques and utilizing the right resources. Here’s a concise guide:

1. Noise Reduction: To minimize background noise, select a portion of the audio with only the noise, then go to Effect > Noise Reduction. Use the "Get Noise Profile" feature, then apply the effect to the entire track. Official Guide

2. Leveling and Compression: To ensure even audio levels, use the Compressor effect under Effect > Compressor. This reduces the dynamic range, making quiet and loud sounds more consistent. Compressor Basics

3. Equalization: To improve voice clarity, use the Equalization effect to boost or cut frequencies. Typically, enhancing frequencies between 1kHz and 4kHz can make speech clearer. Equalization Tips

4. Cutting and Trimming: For a tight narrative, use the Selection Tool to highlight unwanted parts and press Delete. Use the Time Shift Tool to rearrange segments. Editing Basics

5. Fade In/Out: To smoothly start or end your audio, select the beginning or end of your track and choose Effect > Fade In or Fade Out. Fading Audio

For more in-depth techniques and tips, consider exploring resources such as:

• Transom: A showcase and workshop for new public radio, offering tools and techniques for storytelling. Transom Audacity Tutorials

• The Audacity to Podcast: Offers tips on how to use Audacity specifically for podcasting, which is closely related to journalism. The Audacity to Podcast

Remember, practice and experimentation are key. The more you work with Audacity, the better your results will be.

How to Display Audio Editing (Audacity) Skills on Your Resume

9. Content Management Systems (WordPress)

A Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress is a software platform that enables journalists and publishers to create, manage, and publish digital content easily without the need for specialized technical knowledge, facilitating timely and dynamic news dissemination.

Why It's Important

Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress are crucial for journalism as they streamline the process of creating, editing, publishing, and managing digital content. This enables journalists to quickly disseminate timely news, engage with audiences through interactive media, and maintain an online presence without needing advanced technical skills.

How to Improve Content Management Systems (WordPress) Skills

Improving Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress for journalism necessitates focusing on performance, security, content organization, and SEO. Here's a concise guide:

1. Performance Optimization: Enhance your site's speed by using a reliable hosting service, optimizing images (TinyPNG), and using caching plugins (W3 Total Cache). Google's PageSpeed Insights is valuable for identifying performance issues.

2. Security Enhancement: Secure your site by regularly updating WordPress, themes, and plugins. Implement security plugins like Wordfence and enable SSL encryption to safeguard data.

3. Content Organization: Utilize categories and tags effectively for better navigation and use plugins like Yoast SEO to optimize content structure and readability, ensuring your journalism content is accessible and engaging.

4. SEO Optimization: Improve your site's visibility in search engines by focusing on keyword optimization, generating XML sitemaps through Yoast SEO, and optimizing meta descriptions to increase click-through rates. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can provide insights and track your site's performance.

5. Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, considering the majority of users access content via smartphones. Themes like Astra are designed to be responsive and fast.

6. Engagement Features: Implement plugins to add social sharing buttons (Social Snap) and comment management systems (Disqus) to enhance user engagement and interaction.

By focusing on these areas, you can significantly improve the functionality and user experience of a WordPress site tailored for journalism purposes.

How to Display Content Management Systems (WordPress) Skills on Your Resume

10. Photo Editing (Adobe Photoshop)

Photo editing in Adobe Photoshop, especially in the context of journalism, involves digitally manipulating or enhancing images to improve their clarity, composition, and overall impact, while maintaining ethical standards to ensure the accurate and truthful representation of events.

Why It's Important

Photo editing, particularly through tools like Adobe Photoshop, is crucial in journalism for enhancing visual clarity and impact, ensuring accurate representation, and meeting publication standards, all while adhering to ethical guidelines to preserve the integrity and truthfulness of the imagery.

How to Improve Photo Editing (Adobe Photoshop) Skills

Improving photo editing skills in Adobe Photoshop, especially for journalism, involves mastering techniques that enhance the storytelling aspect while preserving the integrity of the image. Here are concise tips with relevant resources:

1. Learn Basic Tools: Familiarize yourself with Photoshop's basic tools like the Crop Tool, Adjustment Layers, and Clone Stamp for essential edits. Adobe's official tutorials are a great place to start.

2. Understand Color Correction: Enhance your photos' mood and feel by mastering Color Correction. Use Levels, Curves, and Color Balance to adjust brightness, contrast, and color. PetaPixel offers a straightforward guide on color correction.

3. Sharpen Images: Learn to sharpen images appropriately to enhance clarity without overdoing it, crucial for journalistic integrity. Adobe's guide on sharpening images is useful.

4. Retouch Photos Ethically: In journalism, it's vital to retouch photos ethically, focusing on minor corrections without altering the story. The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) provides Code of Ethics which should guide your editing process.

5. Stay Updated with Latest Trends: Photography and editing techniques evolve, so it's essential to stay updated. Websites like Fstoppers and DPReview offer the latest news and tutorials.

6. Practice Regularly: The key to mastery is consistent practice. Challenge yourself with projects from sites like Behance for inspiration and feedback from the creative community.

Remember, in journalism, the goal of photo editing is to enhance the narrative while maintaining the photograph's authenticity and integrity.

How to Display Photo Editing (Adobe Photoshop) Skills on Your Resume

11. Fact-Checking

Fact-checking in journalism is the process of verifying the accuracy of information, claims, and statements made in a news story or article before it is published or broadcast. This ensures the reliability and credibility of the content presented to the public.

Why It's Important

Fact-checking in journalism is crucial to ensure accuracy, uphold credibility, and maintain public trust by verifying information before publication, thus preventing the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

How to Improve Fact-Checking Skills

Improving fact-checking in journalism requires a multi-faceted approach, focusing on both the methods used by journalists and the resources available to them. Here’s a concise guide:

1. Strengthen Research Skills: Journalists should enhance their research skills, including advanced internet searches, public records examination, and understanding statistical data. The Poynter Institute offers courses and resources to help journalists refine these skills.

2. Utilize Fact-Checking Tools: Leverage digital tools and databases such as FactCheck.org, Snopes, and PolitiFact to verify claims and statements.

3. Develop Expert Networks: Building relationships with experts across various fields can provide reliable insights and quick fact checks. Tools like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) can connect journalists with experts.

4. Cross-Verify Sources: Always cross-verify information with multiple reliable sources. This practice helps ensure the accuracy of the information being reported.

5. Embrace Transparency: Clearly communicate the fact-checking process to the audience, including sources used. This builds trust and credibility. The Trust Project provides guidelines for transparency in journalism.

6. Educational Programs: Encourage participation in fact-checking and media literacy programs. Organizations like The News Literacy Project offer resources for journalists and the public to improve understanding of media content.

7. Adopt a Fact-Checking Protocol: Establish a standardized fact-checking protocol within the organization. The American Press Institute offers guidance on creating such protocols.

By combining these strategies, journalists can significantly improve their fact-checking capabilities, contributing to the accuracy and reliability of their reporting.

How to Display Fact-Checking Skills on Your Resume

12. Mobile Journalism

Mobile Journalism (MoJo) is a form of journalism that involves using smartphones or portable devices to gather, edit, and distribute news stories and content, allowing for real-time reporting from virtually anywhere.

Why It's Important

Mobile journalism is important because it allows for immediate, accessible, and versatile reporting from anywhere, using smartphones to capture and share news in real-time, ensuring timely delivery of information to a global audience.

How to Improve Mobile Journalism Skills

Improving Mobile Journalism (MoJo) involves leveraging the power of smartphones and mobile devices to produce high-quality journalistic content efficiently. Here are concise strategies:

1. Enhance Skills: Journalists should undergo training in mobile-specific photography, videography, editing, and storytelling techniques to improve content quality.

2. Utilize Apps: Adopt specialized apps for editing, live streaming, and reporting to streamline workflows and enhance storytelling.

3. Invest in Gear: Acquire mobile journalism gear, like stabilizers, microphones, and lenses, to improve production values.

4. Stay Updated: Keep abreast of the latest trends and technologies in mobile journalism by following platforms like NiemanLab and Journalism.co.uk for industry insights and updates.

5. Engage Audiences: Use social media and interactive features to engage with the audience, gather feedback, and tailor content accordingly. Platforms like Twitter and Instagram are essential for real-time engagement.

6. Focus on Storytelling: Regardless of technology, compelling storytelling remains central. Prioritize clear, engaging narratives that resonate with your audience.

By following these strategies, journalists can enhance their mobile journalism skills, producing impactful and engaging content for their audiences.

How to Display Mobile Journalism Skills on Your Resume